Clutch.



C. B. IVHTCHI'LLA.y

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. Is. 1913.

Patented J unel 1 1915. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

c. B. MITCHELLA. CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.18, 1913.

l l 4 l ,648 Patented Julie 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- man sa ATENT FFlQE.

CLYIDE 1B. MITOHELLA, 0F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM A.l

' HEANEY, OF AKRON, OHIO.

CLUTCH.

manege.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that 1, CLYDE B. MITCHELLA, a citizen I,of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and-State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Clutches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This 4invention relates to an improved clutch for general use, although certain of its features make it especially adaptable to looms, thread spinning machines, and other machines wherein the article operated upon is liable to breakage from a' sudden jerk caused by the quick and positive engagement of clutch members, and wherein it is desirable to Vary the pressure between the clutch members so that the same will slip under the load of a predetermined resistance and thereby prevent damage to either the machine or the article it is operating upon.

-The objects of the invention are to pro- `vide a clutch of the above character which is comparatively simplevof construction and economical of production, which is extremely efficient; which is quiet of operH i ation; which is designed with the view of safety to the operator; wherein access to the diiferent parts may bc easily and quickly gained for the purpose of inspection and repair; wherein the parts are very effectively lubricated; wherein the driven member is gradually picked up when the clutch is-thrown into operation, but promptly released when the operation is reversed; and wherein the clutch elements may be held in engagement at varying degrees of pressure. The above and further objects, which will become apparent as this description procceds, are attained by a clutch constructed in accordance with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents a central vertical sective or" the collar through which the slidl ing clutch members are held against rotation upon the shaft; Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective-views, respectively, of the inner and outer sliding clutch members; Figs. 7 and 8 Specication of Letters Patent.

.B is driven therefrom. y stood, however, that 1t is immaterial which Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed December 18, 1913. Serial No. 807,372.

show a modified form of the intermediate clutch member wherein friction blocks are employed; Fig. 9 is a sectional detail through a portion ofthe ball clutch mechanlsm for holding the clutch members in enl gagcment at varying degrees of pressure.

In the drawings,'A represents a shaft which is adapted to drive,`through my improved clutch, the shaft B. For the purpose of description we will assume that the shaft A. is the driving shaft and that the shaft It will be underof the shafts is considerer the driving shaft as the clutch will operate equally as well in both directions.

Connected by the key 1 to the end of the shalt A is the 'hub 2 ot a head 3 which has secured to its opposite face, near its edge, the lateral flange Ll of the intermediate rustoconical clutch member 5, by means of the pins 6.

It will. be noted that the end of the shaft A is inset from the face of the head 3 to provide a bearing for the end of the sha-ft B.

7 represents a key which locks to the shaft B, adjacent the head 3, a collar S (shown in perspective in Fig. which is provided with a pair of diametricall-y opposed lugs E) which extend from that side of the collar opposite the head 3. f

Adapted to slide upon the collar S is the inner clutch member 10 (Fig. 5), the same being splined to the collar by the key 1l which occupies a key way 12 in said m'ember. -It will be observed that the outer surface of the clutch member 10 is tapered to correspoi'id to the adjacent surface of the intermediate clutch member 5. Adapted to coperate with the outer surface of the intermediate clutch member is the correspondingly tapered face ot the outer clutch member 13 which is dish-shaped and has a cen tral aperture lfl vv'hereby said clutch meinher is guided upon the shaft B. Extending laterally from the aperture 14 are notches 15 for the reception of the lugsA 9 ot the collar 8. 1n this manner the inner and outer clutch members are caused to rotate togetherl and with the shaft section B.

Slidably mounted upon the shat't B beyond theouter clutch member, and splined thereto by the key' 7, is a sleeve 16. An

' annulus 17 is slidably mounted upon the eX- terior of ithe sleeve 16 and has connection 4former notches 15) through which the screws 13 pass. Pivoted to the ears 21 which extend from the outer portion of the annulus 17 toward the clutch member 13,-

links between the 'forward ends of 'which' are anti-friction rollers 2 3 for enga gement with the adjacent portions'olt' the clutch member 13. The rollers 23 are iournaledvupon pins 24 which pass through the ends ot the links 22 and through the ends of similar links 25 which have their opposite ends pivoted to lugs 26 which radiate from the end of the sleeve 16'.

A casing 27 incloses the operating parts so tar described, andis threaded upon the periphery of the head 3, a screw' 28 tending to lock the threaded parts together and prevent the casing from unscrewing. An opening in the circular wall of the casing which is normally closed by a screw plug 29, furnishes a means of access to the screws 18 for the purpose of adjustment betweenthe inner clutch member 10 and the annul'us 17. The reason for this adjustment will become apparent from a later description of the operation of the device. A screw 30, which is threaded through the cylindrical wall of the casing, is used to plug the opening through which oil may 'be introduced into the casing or drained therefrom.

A. circumferential groove 3 1 extends around the sleeve 16 and is located at a' point that is always within the casing regardless of the movements of the sleeve. This groove tends to arrest the flow of oil along the sleeve from the interior to the exterior of the casing, when the clutch is at rest. An annular flange 3Q extends 4about each face of the annulus adjacent its inner edge, and a similar flange 33 is formed upon the interior oit' the casing and surrounds' the opening through which the sleeve 16 passes.

From the description thus far it will be seen that, when the sleeve 16 is reciprocated upon the shaft B, the links 2.5 will cause the rollers 23 to traverse the face of the outer clutch member 13 and swing the links Q2 upon their pivots. In the drawings,

the sleeve 16 is shown in its eXtreme inner position with the links 25 at substantially right angles with respect to the axis of the Sleeve. and the links Q2 perpendicular to the former links. lVith the parts in this position, the outer clutch member 13 and the annulus .17 are separated tothe maximum extent, and by reason of the connection through the'screws 13 of the annulus with the inner clutch member 10, it will be seen that simultaneously with the engagement of the outer clutch member with the interme' on dead centeniand when the links 9.2 are perpendicular to the, circular' face of the clutch member 13. This arrangement of the parts assures a very powerful and positive gripping of the intermediate clutch member by the outer clutch members, and this relai tion of the parts may be very easily mainn tained by an occasional adjustment of the screws 18 to'compensate for any wear that may occur in the clutch members. Furthermore, with ihis construction, a much shorter stroke of the operating lever is .requiredl than in the prevailing type of clutches with which I am familiar.

rThe parts oi' the clutch may 'be Vvery eiectively lubricated by placing within the easing a quantity of oil .having alevel below the opening through which the sleeve 16 passes. When the parts are revolving it is obviousI that the oil will be distributed'to everyl part of the Iclutch, and moreover when the clutch is free a iihn o oil will accumulate between the clutch faces of the mem- 'bers 5, 10 and 13 and prevent any rattling of the parts. A series of holes 500, located e about the base' of the truste-conical clutch member 5, permit oil to pass freely from the outer portion of the clutch to within the clutch member 5 and amply lubricate the adjacent surfaces of the head3 and the collar 8, as well as the bearing end of the shaft B. The presence et this oil coating also 1nsuresa very gradual pick up of the clutch which, as mentioned. hereinbefore, is very desirable in certain classes of work; it being necessary, first, to displace the oil between the clutch members before their faces adhere. The'langes 320i the annulus 17 and the flange 33 of the .casing provide means for conducting the oil which accumulates'on these parts during the rotation of the clutch to the lower portion of the easing, thereby preventing the oill from dripping upon the sleeve 16 from where it might, through capillary attraction, be drawn to the end of the sleeve beyond the casing to be thrown oii' by centrifugal force when the clutch is again rotated. It will be noticed that the outer walls of the ianges 3'2 and 33 are inclined for the purpose of forming troughs or gutters through which .the oil is effectively conducted.

The means for securing varying degrees ot pressure between the clutch members, which has been previously referred to, will now be described. The outer. circular face i-,ianeas oilfthe sieeve 16 isy provided with a conical cavity' within the reduced' end of which is supported a ring which has connection, throughpairs of pins 36, with a ring 37v that isslidahly mounted upon the shaft B adjacent the'end of the sleeve 16. Guided between-the pins 36 of' cach pair is a ball 38 which is constantly forced toward the reduced: end off the cavity- 34 and toward the ri-ng by a spring 89 which is guided upon an intermediate pin 36a (see Fig. 9). The sleeve'l isl provided, adjacent its outer end, with` acircumfer'ential channel 40 which is adapted to receive the edge of one of the side'iangesll of a channel member which, as shown particularly in Fig. 3, constitutes aV split, shifting collar ,42. It will be seen from Fig; l that the thickness of the flange llis somewhat less than the width of the channel 40,.but that the cross dimension of the channel within the collar 42 is substantially the same as the width of the annular peripheral flange 43 of the ring 37. lt will also be noticed from said Fig. l and from Fig. 3, that the ring 37 is locked to the end of the sleeve by pins 44, whereby the ring ispermitted to move toward and away from the end of the sleeve 16 but is caused to rotate therewith. The clutch may be operated by a shifting fork of any appropriate type (not shown) which has connection with the trunnions 4.5 of the shifting collar 42.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a ball clutch is provided for locking the sleeve 16 against longitudinal movement upon'the shaft B, which clutch operates in the following manner: ll'rith the parts in the viosition shown in Fig. l, it will be understood that the balls 38 are forced, by the springs 39, toward the reducedy end of the cavity 34 and any tendency of the sleeve 16 to move to its outer position will be resisted by the clamping of the balls 38 between the tapered wall of the cavity7 and the surface or" the: shaft B. It will be seen, also, that this condition would exist when the sleeve i6 is in position along the shaft, assuring, in this manner, a positive locking of the clutch parts in any adjusted position. To disengage the clutch, it is only necessary to'shit the collar 42 and consequently the collar 88 outwardly, when the ring 35 will engage the balls 38 to dislodge them against the tension of the vsprings 39, the excessive width of the channel t() over the channel #il permitting this movement. rl`herea er, the sleeve 16 may be positively slid n shaft by the engagement oi' the with the opposite side of the el ln Figs. 7 and 8 l have shown a im form of an intermediateY clutch mem which shows such member as provided with openingsy 5' for the reception of friction blocks 5c which'may be of liber, wood or similar material. The substitution of this gip,

tention will be calledto the fact that there are no protruding parts upon the casingin any of the forms of my clutch shown herein,

that are liable to injure'the operator should v he come in contact with the clutch while the' same is in operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with a driving and a driven element, of a frusto-conical shellcarried by one element, apair of clutch menr bers movably carried by the other element and each having a tapered face that is arranged to engage one of the tapered faces of the shell, a member reciprocable with respect to the last mentioned element, connec` tions between the reciprocating member and the clutch members for moving said clutch members in opposite directions and into engagement with said shell, and means coperating with the last mentioned element and the reciprocating member for locking the reciprocating member against movement when the clutch members are in engagement with the aforesaid shell.

2. The combination with a driving and a driven element, one of said elements comprising a shaft, a pair of clutch members' which are carried by and are slidable with: respect to the shaft, an intermediate clutchX member which is carried by the other ele' ment and adapted to be engaged on its op.- posite sides byethe former members, a sleeve slidable upon the 'shaft adjacent one of the slidable clutch members, a body movable toward and away from this last mentioned clutch member, means connecting the other slidable clutch member with the body, means for' separating the body and the adjacent clutch member, and further means for lock ing said parts in separated position.

3. rlhe combination with a driving and a driven element, one of said elements comprising a shaft, a pair of clutch members carried by and slidable with respect t'o the shaft, an intermediate clutch member which is carried by the other elementandadapted to he engaged on its opposite sides by the 'fermer members, a sleeve slida'ble upon the shaft adjacent one ofthe slidable clutch members, a body movable toward and away from the last mentioned clutch member, means connecting the other slidable clutch member with the body, means for separating the body and the adjacent clutch member, said means comprising links which are pivoted tov the body, friction rollers carried by the free ends of the links for engagement ice fil

with the adjacent clutch member, and for ther links which connect said free ends of the former links with the end of thev sleeve.

e. The combination With a driving and a driven element, one of said elen'i'ents consisting of a shaft, of a. clutch which comprises a head, a {misto-conical shell which is car-- ried thereby, an inner clutch member which is carried by and is slidable Withrespect to the shaft and which has a. tapered face tor engagement with the inner tace of the shell, an cuter clutch member slidable 'upon the shaft and having a portion overhanging the shell which is tapered tor cooperation with its outer face, a sleeve slid-ably mounted upon the shaft adjacent the last mentioned clutch member, an annulus slidable upon lsaid sleeve, means connecting the annulus with the inner clutch member, and means actuated upon the movement of the sleeve for' separating the annulus and the outer clutch member.

T he combination with a driving and a driven element, one ot .said elements consisting of a shaft, ot a clntch which comprises a, head, a truste-conical shell which 'is car-4 ried thereby, an inner clutch member which. is carried by and is slidable with respect to the shaft and 1which hase tapered Alisce for engagement with the inner face of said shelhan outer clutch member slidable upon the shalt and having,` a portion overl'ianging the shell which is tapered for cooperation with its outer face, a` sleeve slidably mounted upon the shaft adjacent the last men-- tioned clutch member, an annulus slidabie upon said sleeve and havingr a series ot' ears, connections between the annnlus and the inner clutch member, links pivoted to the ears o'lf the annulus, anti-friction devices carried by the free ends oi the links and. adapted to traverse the adjacent surface ot vthe outer clutch memliier, and links connecting` the 'free ends of the former links to the end of the sleeve.

G. rlhe combination with a driving' and a driven element, one of said elements consisting' o'l a shaft, ot a clutch which comjjirises a head, a ifrusto-conical shellv which is ca iricd thewby, an inner clutch member which carried by and is slidable with respect to the shat't and which has a tapered i'aee ior engagement with the inner tace oi said shell, an outer clutch member sliduble upon the sliait and having a portion overhanginthe shell which is tapered 'for cooperation with its outer face, a sleeve slidably mounted upon the shaft adjacent the last mentioned clutch member, an annulus slidable upon said sleeve and havinga series ol ears, con-- nections between the annulusand the inner clutch member, a `pair of links pivgiited to each of the ears oi' the annulus, rollers journalled between the :free ends of the links and adapted to traverse the adjacent surface of the outer clutch member, and links connecting the 'free ends of the former links to the end of the sleeve. i

7. rthe combination with a driving and a A`riven element, one of said elements consistino oi' a shaft of a clutch Which corn-` slidable'upon said sleeve and having a series oi ears, connections between the annulus and the inner clutch member, a pair of links pivoted to each oft the ears of the annnlus, rollers journaled between the free ends of the links and adapted to traverse the adjacent'surtace of the outer clutch member, links connecting the last mentioned ends of the former links to the end of the sleeve, a device tor shittingl the sleeve, and means for inciting the sleeve in any adjusted position alongx the shaft.

8. The combination with a driving dnd a driven element, of a pair of clutch members slidably carried by one of said elements, an intermediate clutch member which is carried by the other element and adapted to be enymecd on lits opposite sides .by the former members, a sleeve slidable upon the element- Whieh carries the pair of clutch members,

connections between the sleeve and the slid able clutch members whereby the movement of the sleeve in one direction will cause the slide le clutch members to approach the intoi-mediate clutch member, and means incorporated `within the sleeve and cooperating with the element whereon the sleeve is slidable, tor locl-inp; the sleeve against movement in. the opposite direction.

The combination with a driving and a driven element, of a pair of clutch members slida "v carried by one of said elements, an

intermediate cliiteh member which is carried bv the other element and adapted to be en- L, ged on itsopposite sides bv the former mei'ubers, a sleeve slidable upon the element which carries the pair of hitchmembers, connections bet-iveen the sleeve and the slidable clutch members whereby the movement of the sleeve in one direction will canse the slidable clutch members to approach the intermediate` clutch member, means incorporated within the sleeve and coperatingnwith the element 'Whereon the sleeve is shdiible, :tor lockingy the sleeve against movement in the opposite direction, and mechanism for rendering ineffective said locking means and for moving the sleeve.

10. The combination with a driving and a driven element, one of said elements consisting of -a shaft, of a pair of clutch members' carried by and slidable with respect to the shaft, an intermediate clutch member which is carried by the other element and adapted to be engaged on its opposite sides by the former members, av sleeve slidable upon the shaft and having a recess which has a tapered Wall that lis opposed to a portion of the shaft, connections between the sleeve and the slidable clutch members whereby the movement of the sleeve in one direction will cause the slidable clutch members to approach the intermediate clutch member, and means for locking the sleeve against movement in the opposite direction, said means consisting of a locking member within the recess of the sleeve, means tending to force said member toward the re duced end ofthe recess, and a device for dislodging saidmember.

'11. The combination with a driving and a driven element, one of said elements cnssting of a shaft, of a pair of clutch members carried by and slidable with respect `to the shaft, an intermediate clutch member which is carried by the" other element and A-adapted to be engaged on" its opposite sides will cause the first mentioned member to movc the rotary member against the action of said means.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aiiix my si gnature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLYDE B. MITCHELLA.

Witnesses:

BRENNAN B. WEST, HUGH B. MCGILL. 

